It’s a busy May with a lineup of culture, music, and art across the region. Macao brings back its annual arts festival (a highlight on the city’s calendar), Hong Kong serves up alt‑rock veterans Pixies and an art fair featuring wallet-friendly art pieces, while Shenzhen wants you to immerse yourself in cool art installations. 

There’s plenty more. Read on for what’s on across the Greater Bay Area this week.

Foshan

Bubble Life Festival

Sip a drink by the terrace while enjoying a live music show and watching a dragon dance parade. Then browse the pop-up market at this gathering of multiple delights.

Venue: Fisherman’s Wharf（容桂渔人码头建德码头）
Date: From now to 31 May

Leon Lai in Concert

Singer Leon Lai, one of Hong Kong’s “Four Heavenly Kings,” goes piratical for this extravagant performance that moves between the realms of fantasy and reality.

Venue: Foshan International Sports and Cultural Center（佛山国际体育文化演艺中心）
Date: 16 May
Time: 7:30 pm

Guangzhou

Chen Chusheng Wasteland of Wonders Concert

The Chinese singer-songwriter’s concert tour begins in Guangzhou, with three core themes – Eye of the Storm, Living Space, and Future Space – creating a stunning stage spectacle.

Venue: Sports Center of Guangzhou University Town Stadium（广州大学城体育中心体育场）
Date: 16 May
Time: 7 pm

Steve Chou Eternal Plus Concert

Dubbed the “godfather of love songs,” Taiwanese Mandopop singer-songwriter Steve Chou sets comes to Guangzhou to present a brand-new show.

Venue: Guangdong Olympic Sports Center（广东省奥林匹克体育中心体育场）
Date: 16 May
Time: 7 pm

Huizhou

Axash Art Exhibition

Using gauze and translucent pigments, contemporary Chinese artist Axash – who works in painting, installations and digital media – creates a flickering, elusive effect to stage an exhibition about lines, masks and about what she calls “dislocated reality.”

Venue: Dongjiang Granary Lifestyle Aesthetics Block（东江粮仓）
Date: From now to 15 June

Shenzhen

Zhang Dali Exhibition

Zhang Dali is a major contemporary Chinese artist, born in Harbin in 1963, best known for his graffiti, photography, sculpture, and installations that critique urban transformation, memory, and social power in modern China. His latest work features eight monumental art installations, infused with striking red visuals.

Venue: Museum of Contemporary Art & Planning Exhibition（深圳市当代艺术与城市规划馆）
Date: From now to 31 July

Chyi Yu Forever Splendor Concert

Best known for her 1979 folk‑Mandopop hit “The Olive Tree,” Chyi Yu is touring after a long hiatus and performing classic pieces reimagined with fresh arrangements.

Venue: Bao’an Sports Center Gymnasium（宝安体育馆）
Date: 16 May
Time: 7 pm

Macao

36th Macao Arts Festival

Macao’s annual arts festival spans theatre, dance, Cantonese opera, and visual arts. This edition’s highlights include Italy’s NoGravity Theatre, which reinterprets Dante’s Divine Comedy on a mirrored stage, and a grand production of Swan Lake by the Shanghai Ballet.

Venue:Several venues in Macao
Date: Now through 27 June

Delta of Venus exhibition 

Curated by Ieong Man Pan and Victor Marreiros, Khay Zhang’s new exhibition, Delta of Venus, draws inspiration from Paris-born Anaïs Nin – known for her novels and erotica – to create pieces that span drawing, watercolour, collage on paper, and book-cover compositions.

Venue:Amagao Gallery at Artyzen Grand Lapa
Date: Now through 7 June

Hong Kong

Pixies concert

To mark four decades since its formation, Boston band Pixies has set off on a global tour – Pixies 40 – and it’s bringing the outfit to Hong Kong. Expect alt-rock classics from albums like Doolittle and Surfer Rosa.

Venue: Tides
Date: 12 May

Affordable Art Fair 

Museum-worthy art without the hefty price tag? You can get your hands on contemporary art pieces at the Hong Kong Affordable Art Fair, with all art pieces under HK$100,000. Find works by Hong Kong-based and global artists.

Venue: Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre
Date: 14 to 17 May